“Charles has been instrumental to the growth of our strong and profitable mortgages business and we wish him all the best for the future.

“Charles will remain in the business whilst we search for his replacement, a process we have already begun.”

Fahed Boodai, chairman of Gatehouse Financial Group, said: “I am delighted to see someone of Charles calibre joining us to lead the firm, he will be pivotal in leading Gatehouse during the next stage of its strategy and I look forward to working alongside him in achieving our ambitions for the firm, our clients and our shareholders.”